The latest study shows that Australian doctors are now so afraid of being sued by patients that one third are considering giving up medicine. The study looked at nearly 3,000 specialists, general practitioners and trainees. Alarmingly 32% are considering reducing their work hours and 40 per cent are considering early retirement.
According to co-author Dr Louise Nash from the New South Institute of Psychiatry, these concerns regarding lawsuits are also raising the cost of medical treatment. She added that medico-legal concerns could “weaken sound clinical judgment, cause unnecessary costs, burden health care resources and constrain improvements in healthcare delivery”.
“Doctors consider referring patients more than usual, 43 per cent of my sample said that they did this… Fifty-five per cent said that they ordered tests more than usual because of these concerns about medico-legal issues,” she said. 11 per cent said they prescribed more medications than usual.
Results also showed that 65 per cent of doctors had first-hand experience with a medico-legal matter, with 14 per cent dealing with a current problem. The commonest issues were compensation claims and complaints to a health care body, while the least common were disciplinary hearings and criminal charges.
The study is published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
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